


Childermass's Promise

by katherine1753



Category: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (TV), Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke
Genre: Blow Jobs, Established Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Gentle Sex, Hand Jobs, Kissing, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rimming, Rough Sex, Smut, Wall Sex, johnsquared - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:49:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26262934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katherine1753/pseuds/katherine1753
Summary: Childermass had promised Segundus that he could be very gentle during sex. And while Segundus definitely wants to experience that, he also wants to see what it would be like if Childermass was not so gentle. And maybe, just maybe, also have his way with Childermass.
Relationships: John Childermass/John Segundus
Comments: 11
Kudos: 29





	1. In Which Childermass is Gentle

**Author's Note:**

> This is basically a sequel to Pure of Virtue, True of Heart, though you definitely do not have to read that first in order to read this! All you need to know is that Childermass had promised Segundus that he could be very gentle during sex. Segundus asked to experience that, and also asked that Childermass be...not-so-gentle. So this is both. Chapter 1 is gentle. Chapter 2 is not. Chapter 3 is Segundus’s turn (wink wink). This fic can stand alone and each chapter within it can be read separately as well! Enjoy!

Nearly a week had gone by since the fateful night Segundus had broken Childermass’s curse. It had been a most pleasant almost-week, with lots of magic to be practiced and books to be read and kisses to be stolen. And many, many kisses had been stolen, for Vinculus was still off somewhere, presumably with one of his wives and a language translator, but one could never know for sure with him, and the students and staff were still on their holiday break. Childermass and Segundus were taking full advantage of having Starecross to themselves, being able to share kisses freely in the library or the kitchen or wherever they may please, and being able to share each other’s warmth at night in Segundus’s large bed. 

Childermass had not done either of the things he had promised Segundus yet, namely the gentle sex and the not-so-gentle sex, and Segundus was getting rather impatient. It had only been a few nights after all, and perhaps he was being too eager, but he could not help it. And poor Segundus was not at all sure how to initiate such things; was he supposed to just ask John flat out, something like ‘yes hello good morning John, would you please fuck me this evening?’...and now that he was thinking of it, a blush taking up its regular residence on his cheeks, that may actually work. But he could not bring himself to do or say such things. And he certainly was not about to attempt to woo Mr. Childermass again, seeing how well (how  _ terribly _ ) that had gone last time. 

And so he was content to wait, for now, maybe for just a few more days. He sent Childermass the most smoldering looks he could manage and put every bit of passion he could muster into their kisses. And he knew Childermass was most definitely affected by that, as many of Segundus’s kisses were so thorough that it left the other man breathing hard and swaying on his feet. Segundus sighed to himself, getting more comfortably settled in his chair and trying to focus on his book. John had gone out to the stables to tend to Brewer after supper, and had promised to join Segundus in the library afterwards. It wouldn’t do to be caught daydreaming when at their meal they had been discussing the very book Segundus was attempting to read. 

He heard Childermass’s footsteps in the hallway, approaching the door, and he quickly looked back down at the pages before him. 

“John,” Childermass greeted as he entered the library, a careful and hesitant tone to his voice. Segundus could tell something was on his mind, and he looked up, waiting patiently to hear what he had to say. Childermass paused. Froze. Hesitated. It was so unlike him. Segundus felt the corners of his mouth beginning to turn down, perhaps something was wrong, perhaps-

“John,” Childermass tried again, taking a breath, letting the tension fall from his shoulders. “I was...I was thinking about the other night,” he began, eyes not quite meeting Segundus’s face. Segundus knew exactly which night he was talking about by the very slight pink tinge to the other man’s cheeks. “...about what we had, well,  _ discussed. _ Your requests. For...future encounters, as it were,” he sighed, and Segundus could tell he was getting frustrated with himself and the way his words were stumbling out of his mouth. 

“Oh,” Segundus sat up in his chair, fears leaving him as a bit of a blush began to form on his own cheeks. “Yes?”

Childermass glanced at him before continuing on. “And. Well. I was thinking...hoping...that,” he sighed again, looking at Segundus for help, trying to make John come to the conclusion on his own. But Segundus had already decided Childermass must initiate such things and so he stared back resolutely, waiting. 

“Hoping that…?” Segundus prompted. He knew exactly what Childermass was beginning to attempt to ask, but he had already decided that Childermass must initiate such things and so he stared back resolutely, waiting for John to continue. 

He sighed again, a little exasperatedly, but the corner of his mouth twitched up a little and Segundus knew that he knew he was being teased a bit. “I was hoping, that perhaps for your first request, tonight might be-”

“Yes!” Segundus interrupted quickly. “Yes, of course,” he knew he was probably being embarrassingly eager, but having not thought of much else for days now he found he did not care one bit. Especially with the bashful half-smile lighting up John’s face in the doorway. He all but jumped out of his chair to stand up. 

“Very well,” Childermass said through his smile, and Segundus could tell he was trying not to laugh. He made his way across the library to where Segundus was standing and took his hand. “I have a few things I need to prepare for you.” Segundus felt his heart beat so hard that it felt as if it would escape from his chest at any given moment. Childermass lifted his hand to his lips, kissing it very gently across his knuckles and Segundus’s breath caught in his throat. His knees felt weak. “One hour,” Childermass murmured. 

Segundus could not do much more than nod and smile happily through his surely-red cheeks. Childermass turned to leave the library again, but not before glancing back at Segundus. He had that determined look on his face like when he was about to attempt a new form of magic, except now it was being applied to  _ Segundus _ , and Segundus was now sure that the anticipation might just kill him. The wait would be pure torture, but once it was over it would be incredible. One hour. He could make it through one hour. He glanced at the clock on the mantle as soon as Childermass shut the door behind him. His eyes fell back on the book he was supposed to be reading. He sat back in his chair, shifting as his breeches were now a little bit uncomfortable, and picked up the book. He looked back at the clock, dismayed to see that only fifteen seconds had gone by. A slow breath left him. One hour. Just one hour. 

- - - -

Childermass shut the door to the library behind him and picked up the bag he had stashed in the hallway, making his way to Segundus’s chambers with the smile still playing about his lips. He set the bag down on the bed, opening it up. Yesterday he had traveled briefly into town to purchase a few things for this evening, and he had spent the ride there and back trying to formulate the best plan. He bought some new sheets, very soft and almost silky to the touch, a bundle of candles that the shopkeeper promised him would give off a light, pleasant scent when lit, and a few little trinkets he needed for a couple of spells he was planning on using. 

He untied the bundle of sheets and tucked the string into an inner pocket of his greatcoat. It was a very nice string; it would probably be useful later, perhaps for a spell. John stripped Segundus’s sheets from the bed, expertly fitting the new ones into their place, replacing the pillowcases and fluffing them up. He turned down the coverlet invitingly and took a step back to assess his work. He nodded once, it would do. He folded the other sheets and tucked them into the cupboard. 

Childermass turned to the wash basin in the corner and filled it, taking a new bar of soap and his toothbrush out of his satchel. He undressed and washed himself, taking extra care to scrub more carefully anywhere he thought (hoped) Segundus would get very close to. After brushing his teeth, he hesitated, staring at his discarded clothes. How many of them to put back on? He pulled his breeches and shirt on, leaving a few of the higher buttons of the shirt undone, decided that would be enough, and went back to preparing the room. The rest of his things he folded carefully and put on a chair by the wall. 

John mumbled a spell, letting his hands trail over the wooden bedposts. Segundus had always had plain, simpler furniture, and that suited the both of them fine, but Childermass wanted it to be something special, and he could not afford to buy him a new bed, but he could alter the one he had. And if Segundus didn’t like it, it would be much easier to reverse the spell than to move furniture around. The wood creaked and crackled below his fingertips, and the texture changed underneath as his hands moved along. Soon the plain wooden bedposts had transformed into intricately carved works of art: vines swirling and winding their way up from the base, intertwining leaves and flowers adorning more and more of them as they climbed upwards, springing into real green leaves and blooming blue petals at the very tops. From there they became almost tree-like, stretching up towards the ceiling and across over the bed until a magical green canopy hung from above. 

He stood back and stared at it for a moment, making a few tweaks here and there, but it was good. He was proud of this bit of magic, not having had any opportunity to practice it before. But nature-based spells always came more easily to him, and he was very glad for it now. 

Was this romantic enough? He knew all he had really promised was gentle sex, the kind of sex that Segundus deserved, but truly, Childermass had meant to spoil him with everything he could. But he felt a bit lost. He’d never really done this before. Sex, yes. Romance, no. So it was just from things he’d observed, overheard, read in books, seen in shops. Mostly things from his own head. He sighed to himself as he continued. No going back now. 

He mumbled a few more spells, letting flower petals burst forth from nothingness and line the path from the door to the bed. A few stray petals had spread a bit from the path he had tried to make, and a handful or so had also ended up strewn across the bed. Childermass was about to scoop them up and straighten them, but he paused. Maybe it looked better this way. Perhaps a few more would be a good idea. 

He surely was running out of time at this point, best not to waste any more of it on tiny details when there were still some bigger things to deal with, even though the tiny details were what he liked to focus on the most. But the candles! He had almost forgotten, and they were important. He set them around the room, rearranging them a few times until they looked how he wanted, and lit them. He was pleased with the soft light and scent they gave off, he would surely have to visit that shop again. 

Standing in just his shirtsleeves and breeches, Childermass took one more look around the room: his greatcoat hung neatly in the corner, his waistcoat was folded carefully upon the chair, the candles were all lit and flickering a gentle light across the bedroom, and the bed...the bed looked more like a disastrous floral arrangement than a bed underneath all the petals and blooms he had enchanted upon it, despite the new sheets and intricate wooden vines lining the posts. It was probably way too much. Perhaps he had gone too far. 

He caught sight of himself in Segundus’s mirror and grabbed at his satchel once more. His hair was utterly hopeless. He attempted to brush it, but it didn’t seem to matter. He sighed and re-tied it as neatly as he could at the nape of his neck. Pieces still fell out around his face, the knot was not as precise as he was hoping for (though he had been tying his hair back this way for many years, he mostly did it just to get it out of the way, not for any particular look or style), and he sighed again. Maybe he was trying too hard. Maybe this was not at all what Mr. Segundus was hoping for or what he had meant. But it was too late to go back now. He looked around the room again with a nervous glance. And then his eyes fell upon the clock, declaring he had only a few more minutes to prepare. Definitely too late to tone any of this down. 

Thankfully he had not put the flowers and candles down the hallway, like his first plan had been. He’d realized that the candles would be untended for many hours, probably until morning, and to be interrupted by the rug catching fire would ruin the night. And Childermass hoped he had the whole night. 

He knocked once at the library door before entering, catching Segundus pretending to read in the corner with a blush high on his cheeks. His mouth twitched up in the corners as he looked at John sitting impatiently in his chair. And all of Childermass’s nervousness evaporated. 

Segundus rose and crossed the room, pulling Childermass into a very welcome, but very needy kiss. Perhaps it had been a bit cruel to leave John for an entire hour in anticipation. And as with most kisses he shared with John, his hands began to wander. He could not help himself. Touching Segundus was something that he knew he would never get enough of. He let John take control of the kiss and he almost stumbled backwards with the eagerness Segundus nearly tackled him with. 

Finally pulling back, Childermass caught his breath. “John,” he murmured, voice gravelly. “We’re meant to be in the bedroom,” he teased. 

“Oh!” Segundus exclaimed. “Right, yes, of course, I suppose I got a bit carried away there.” His cheeks were the loveliest shade of pink. Childermass said so and was rewarded with an even deeper shade. He dropped his hands from where they had been winding their way into Childermass’s hair (brushing it truly had been pointless after all) and twined his fingers with Childermass’s own, smiling up at him. And John Childermass would do anything for that smile. 

He led Segundus up to his bedroom, fighting the urge to kiss him again until they reached the doorway. He held his breath as John took in the room, his mouth dropping open with a little breathless “oh,” escaping him. 

“Do you like it?” Childermass asked quietly. 

“Oh, John, it’s lovely,” Segundus breathed. “It’s like an enchanted forest! This magic...it must have been difficult. Was it? Could you teach me?” 

Childermass couldn’t help but chuckle, of course Segundus was drawn to the magic first. “I’ll teach you anything you wish to know.” There was heat behind his words, and it was not lost on Segundus, who nearly pounced upon him for another kiss. He slowed John’s kisses with his own, deepening them and letting his tongue trace over Segundus’s lips. 

He felt John beginning to grow impatient in his arms, lips pressing against his more insistently and hands grabbing at his loose shirt. Childermass pulled back, Segundus’s lips chasing his for a moment. “We have all night,” one side of Childermass’s surely now kiss-swollen mouth twitched up. 

“You make me impatient,” Segundus admitted. 

“Always,” Childermass teased again. Though Segundus’s eagerness did please him greatly. He would let him have his way next time, certainly, but tonight he had promised to be gentle, and he was going to savor each little moment, drawing it out as long as he could. “Let me take care of you.” 

Childermass began to undress him, fingers itching to make quick work of all of Segundus’s buttons and laces, but he kept them slow, though he knew his fingers were deft enough to undo the entire waistcoat full of buttons in mere seconds. When he finally got enough layers off that the next section of buttons would begin to reveal skin, he slowed again, letting his lips leave John’s to start to trail down his neck, taking his time and taking in the little gasps and breaths, learning quickly what Segundus liked best. 

With each button John undid, each tie, each lace, he let his lips wander a little lower, leaving just the lightest touch of a kiss on every little inch he revealed, the barest touch of rough lips to soft skin. When he finally got Segundus’s shirt and breeches off, he laid him backwards onto the bed, and stood for a moment taking in the sight of his lover on the soft sheets amidst the flower petals, pale skin glowing in the gentle candlelight. 

John gazed up at him a moment invitingly as Childermass pulled off his own clothes and discarded them on the floor. Segundus began to reach out to him, and then his brow furrowed a bit as his hand slid across the fabric. “Oh,” he said again, cheeks turning more pink, “you got me new sheets?” At Childermass’s nod he turned even redder. “They’re very nice.”

“You’re very nice,” the words escaped him before he could think. The corner of his mouth twitched up and he joined Segundus up on the bed, leaning over him to press another kiss to his lips. He noted Segundus’s happy little shiver at his words. Perhaps he should say more nice things, though that was not something he had planned in advance. He pressed his chapped lips against Segundus’s collarbone, revelling in the little gasp he drew from the other man’s lips.

“You’re so beautiful,” he mumbled, words surely not clear, surely not good enough. He was no poet, no bard, but-

“I’m not,” John tried to deny. “I’m…”

Childermass cut him off with a quick kiss, and then another, and another, deepening them, distracting Segundus from his train of thought, and on the way to distracting himself as well. “You  _ are,” _ he insisted, drawing back for air. His seemingly permanently ink-stained and calloused fingers trailed over John’s perfect skin, smooth and pale, relishing the softness and cherishing every moment he could touch him. How Segundus could not see what he did was a mystery, but Childermass would convince him one way or another. “You are,” he said again, looking into his eyes. 

“Oh,” Segundus blushed prettily, and it was everything John could ever need for the rest of his life. 

Childermass took a breath. “Gentle words do not come easily, but for you I will try. For you I would do anything you wished of me.” He had made himself vulnerable, saying much more than he had meant to or wished to, but John’s face had softened even more, his eyes shining, and he certainly did not mean to make him cry, but-

“I love you,” Segundus said, pulling him back down until his lips could reach John’s face. Childermass let his lips trace across Segundus’s cheek, his forehead, his eyelids, memorizing every little brush of skin, every little sound escaping John’s lips, every delighted shiver. 

By the time Childermass had reached Segundus’s neck, his kisses had become more intense, open-mouthed and hot against his damp skin, and John was grabbing at his shoulders trying to pull him closer. His skin was flushed and warm beneath Childermass’s lips and it was beautiful. 

A kiss was pressed to the still-healing mark at the juncture of John’s shoulder and neck. Once in apology. Another in gratitude. The little sounds escaping John’s mouth would surely be the death of him, his hips were already twitching of their own accord. He tried to hold himself back, John deserved gentle. He stilled his hips, smirking a bit at Segundus’s sigh of disapproval. There would be time for that later, but for tonight he would keep his promise and be as gentle as possible, even if it drove John crazy. He let his lips trail (slowly, slowly) over that impossibly smooth skin, wishing his own was softer against it. John deserved soft. 

Childermass continued downward, lips grazing against Segundus’s chest, tongue brushing against his nipples, drawing out even more little gasps and moans that were driving him mad. John’s hands kept wandering a bit ahead of his lips, unable to hold them back fully, and they settled on Segundus’s rocking hips. He pressed a kiss right above John’s belly button, earning a little huff of a laugh that he definitely wanted to explore later. His nose traced down the sparse trail of hair down to Segundus’s lovely cock, standing flushed for him. He skipped over it to press more kisses into John’s hipbones, smirking at the little impatient sigh coming from above him. 

He kissed down John’s thighs, sucking gently but not hard enough to leave a mark. Maybe some other time, if Segundus was amenable, but he would not dwell on that for now. Now was the time for softness. He continued downwards, pressing a kiss to the back of his knee as his hands caressed his calves. He was so enraptured and distracted by kissing every bit of Segundus that he could reach, he didn’t even notice when John’s hands had become buried in his hair until they began to tug. Childermass moaned against his thigh, he would have to encourage that some more later, certainly. 

“John, you are torturing me, please,” Segundus said, voice breathy and shaking on a moan at the end as Childermass suckled again at the juncture of thigh and hip, very close to where John wanted him most. 

“Just you wait,” Childermass smirked up at him, but he decided to ease Segundus’s want a little bit and shifted back upwards, pressing a chaste kiss to Segundus’s lips before leaning back down and finally, finally letting his mouth sink down on Segundus’s cock. His eyes flickered up to John’s face, taking in the sight of John’s head thrown back on the pillow, his hands clenching in the new sheets as Childermass flicked his tongue against his cock. 

He only stayed there long enough to tease, just enough to get him close, and when he felt that lovely cock begin to twitch in his mouth he pulled off, pressing a final kiss to the tip. He nuzzled into the coarse hair at the base for a moment before scooting back a little bit to hold John’s hips up in his hands. He kissed the base of his cock and let his mouth wander further downward, laving his tongue across his balls. A glance upward told him Segundus was a mess; he’d best continue onward if he wanted to get to everything tonight.

Childermass reached up and grabbed the pillow that had very recently begun to be known as ‘his’ and slid it underneath Segundus’s narrow hips. He let his hands rub over John’s hipbones, the tops of his thighs. They traced up and down his sides, and slid behind to cup his buttocks. He let his fingers squeeze lightly and inch closer to the crevice there, touching gently, gently, and slowly let his mouth return to tenderly suckling at Segundus’s balls, feeling him twitch beneath his hands. 

His mouth slid further down and his hands moved across John’s thighs, pushing them up and out a little, smoothing over his skin and positioning him how he wanted him as he let his lips trail lower and lower. He laved his tongue across his hole once, gently and firmly and hot and wet and Segundus cried out, an almost scandalized but deeply pleasured “ _ John,” _ as he gasped and moaned. And Childermass continued, carefully and slowly but by all means thoroughly, kissing and licking around his hole, suckling at the rim, little nibbles here and there just to tease. He pressed his tongue just there, just in, just a little, until Segundus was near tears, hands twisting in the sheets, hips twitching up desperately for more as he panted, unable to catch his breath, little mumbles of ‘please’ and ‘yes’ and 'there' escaping him between gasps and moans. 

Childermass had thankfully had the forethought to place John’s little bottle of oil within reach while he had been setting up the room earlier this evening and so he was able to grab it with one hand, not having to stop the ministrations of his other fingers or tongue. A clever flick of his tongue caused John to bury one of his hands back in Childermass’s tangled hair, pulling deliciously and drawing a groan out of Childermass’s lips, and the vibrations against him made Segundus’s grip tighten as he gasped again. 

John focused back on the bottle in his other hand, carefully pouring some into his palm to let it warm there before slicking one finger and sliding in easily. Segundus pleaded again, voice sounding wrecked, and Childermass moved his mouth back up to his balls as he stroked his finger inside gently into that hot, tight heat. He wanted to give in and fuck him already, completely overwhelmed by Segundus’s pleas and his skin and the way he moved his hips, but he would keep drawing this out; watching and knowing he was the cause of this much pleasure for John was so much better. 

He added a second finger and Segundus began to beg, but Childermass ignored him. He knew John was ready, but he wanted this to last as long as possible. He continued his gentle thrusts, curling his fingers until Segundus cried out. Every sound from John’s lips was ruining him as well, his own cock aching from lack of attention, but he would make this last, he would wait, even if his own cock was begging for release and twitching against him. 

With three fingers, Segundus was borderline incoherent, babbling nonsense of half-sentences and partial words mixed with John’s name. Childermass finally looked back up at him, and Segundus was flushed from head to toe, one arm thrown over his face, other hand gripping at the sheets with white knuckles, his gorgeous cock pink and leaking, his chest heaving with every breath. Childermass pulled his fingers out, kissing his apology into Segundus’s hip at his little whine, and decided to take pity on him. John had waited long enough. He crawled back up, leaning over Segundus as he moved the arm blocking his face and kissed him deeply, finally giving them both some relief as he pressed his hips down. 

When he finally entered him, slowly, so slowly, Segundus tried to take control, tried to buck up into him, tried to thrust, tried to grab at his hips and pull him down. And while Childermass loved that, and made a mental note to definitely explore that some more next time, he did not give in no matter how much he wanted to. 

“Please,  _ please,”  _ Segundus whispered against his lips, shaking hands gripping the back of John’s neck and fingers twining into his hair as he relented to Childermass’s slow pace. 

“Shh, just let me take care of you,” Childermass murmured between slow and deep kisses, mirrored by slow and deep thrusts of his hips. He mumbled any words of affection that came to his mind into Segundus’s lips as he lost himself in the pleasure, and he was certain his words probably were not making much sense, and truthfully he was not all that sure what he had said, but they seemed to please Segundus greatly if his little cries and gasps were to be the judge of it. 

Childermass let one hand slide between them, and moved his mouth to Segundus’s neck so he could hear John better. “Let go, John, you’re so beautiful, come for me,” he mumbled against his flushed, damp skin. “Love you,” he whispered against his neck. And it only took a few strokes of Childermass’s hand before John was coming, clenching around Childermass’s cock and pulling him over the edge as well as he became overwhelmed in Segundus’s pleasure. 

When Childermass had recovered enough to catch his breath, he reluctantly left the bed to grab a cloth to wipe themselves, carefully and gently taking care of Segundus. John was flushed with joy, limbs loose and floppy, dazed and happy and woozily smiling up at him with a teary smile. There was a glow about him that was only partially due to the candles on his still-flushed skin. 

Childermass laid down next to him, propping up on one elbow to keep looking at John, he would never have his fill of looking. Segundus rolled into him and Childermass could feel his smile against his collarbone. “Good?” he asked, arm wrapping around John's shoulders.

“Very,” Segundus mumbled against him. 

“And...and next time?” Childermass was much too tired to be asking about next time, but he couldn’t help it with Segundus all warm and soft and happily curled into him. 

John huffed a laugh against his skin. “Yes,” he smiled again. 

He had not meant it as a yes-or-no question, but Childermass would be more specific later. For now he was content to hold John in his arms as they drifted off to sleep. 


	2. In Which Childermass Is Not As Gentle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so like. I said rough, but really it’s just not-as-gentle, ok? I was talking to slow-burn-sally about it and I’m just soft, very very soft, and Segundus is very very soft, and this is just slightly less soft, but I hope y’all enjoy it anyway. I just really can’t help but add feelings and love into basically everything I ever write. This is my attempt at a slightly spicier cinnamon roll.

It was on the ride back from York a few days later when Childermass had finally worked up the nerve to fulfill Segundus’s second request. And, truly, he knew he was being a bit ridiculous in his apprehension, for John had been nothing but eager about this entire thing, but sex was different when it was someone you cared about. When it was someone you loved. It wasn’t so much the fulfillment of the request that made him nervous, he was quite looking forward to it, he just wasn’t used to attaching so many feelings to one person. 

He thought back on the conversation with John he had that morning, when he had managed to rearticulate his question from directly after their previous romantic entanglement, and was able to ask for more specific answers to more specific inquiries. In his head, he had practiced and rehearsed the words to ask  _ delicately  _ so that he should not offend Segundus (just in case), but when it came down to it, it came out as more of a stumbling of words again, as he had struggled the first time. There was something about John that just...disarmed him lately. Love, he supposed. He was unfamiliar with it, and unused to the fluttery feelings deep inside him whenever John smiled at him (and  _ yes _ he’d had the brief fluttery feelings for years now, tamping them down and keeping a neutral or disdainful expression, but now his affections were returned and so things were  _ different) _ . 

It was new. It was strange. It was precious, and wonderful, and more than he thought he deserved, and he did not want to lose it so quickly or ruin it or do anything to mess this up and so as cool and indifferent as he kept his expressions on the outside, on the inside he was anxious.

He’d asked when Segundus had wanted the second half of his request, and if he still wanted it, still wanted this, still wanted- 

And Segundus, bless him, had interrupted the rambling of words escaping his lips faster than his brain could comprehend them (a very rare thing for Mr. Childermass, indeed) with a gentle kiss, a happy reassurance, and a mild sounding response of “oh, whenever you’d like,” smiling with barely-contained excitement. “Perhaps this evening. Surprise me?” And that little quirk of his lips, that little tilt of his head, the hungry hope in his expression, Childermass was sure those would all be the death of him. 

And in all honesty, he probably could have had John right there on the breakfast table, judging by the look in Segundus’s eyes when he’d asked to be surprised, and maybe he would have to oblige those thoughts someday, someday very soon in fact, but Childermass still wanted to do things  _ right  _ these first few times _ ,  _ whatever ‘right’ may be. He hadn’t done anything romantic before until just a few days prior (and that seemed to have gone well?), and he hadn’t really...well, he’d definitely done this (the less gentle sex) before. But not with someone he loved. So it was as if he had never done it before at all. He wished he knew exactly every little thing that John wanted of him, every place to kiss and every bit of skin to touch, and where and how, but he supposed that was a lot of the fun of this: discovering all of those things himself. He just didn’t want to hurt him or do anything wrong. Because he cared about Segundus, deeply so, and he wanted to keep him.

John shook himself out of his brooding mood, and let his mind wander to a few of the ways that he had imagined having Segundus in the past. While he hadn’t let his fantasies go very far previously, knowing he surely could never have them, he let his mind run freely with them now. Before too long it was getting rather uncomfortable to be sitting atop a horse on a cobbly road and when he glanced up at the path ahead he was both glad and startled to see that he was much closer to Starecross already than he had thought. 

He managed to keep his thoughts in a more neutral direction for the short remainder of his journey, and was only slightly less achingly hard by the time he led Brewer into the stables. He took care of him quickly, gave him a pat and an extra treat, and walked briskly to the main part of the house. 

“John?” Childermass called as he walked through the door. He didn’t see or hear Segundus anywhere, but the man was probably either in the library or in his study.

“I’m in here!” a muffled reply came. The library, then. He headed that way, trying to slow his steps to a more casual rush, trying to will his cock to stand down a little at least, what if now was not a good time, what if Segundus did not-

He shook himself out of his thoughts again. He’d cross that bridge when and if he came to it. 

The library door was already open, and John looked up at him with a warm smile, and oh, the fact that he could receive a smile like that every day if he kept Segundus happy, that was a thought that warmed him to his very core. 

“How was the ride? Did you get caught by that bit of rain earlier?” 

“It was fine,” Childermass mumbled, honestly not sure if it had rained or not, so deep in his thoughts and distractions as he was. “I...would you-” he tried. But he was overwhelmed and he’d been thinking of this all day and he’d been hard for  _ hours  _ and John was just looking at him so openly, so earnestly, and-

“Stop me if you don’t want any of this,” he managed weakly, stepping fully into the library, walking purposefully towards John. 

Segundus’s eyes flickered down to his breeches (much too tight now, there was really no hiding it) “ _ Oh, _ ” he said, his lips quirked up into a heated smile and his eyes darkened. “And if I do want?” he asked, standing and meeting Childermass halfway across the library. Their lips came together in a passionate kiss, Segundus’s mouth almost unbearably hot against Childermass’s own still cold from the long ride from town. 

- - - -

And just like in many of Segundus’s fantasies, John came in and swept him off his feet, almost literally as Segundus nearly lost his balance at the sheer force and want and need behind Childermass’s kiss. Their hands grabbed at each other, pulling futilely at clothing with far too many buttons to be undone so easily, and moved to twist into locks of hair and grip at arms and the backs of necks. It was all very exhilarating and Segundus did not think he’d ever been kissed so thoroughly, so furiously in his life. It was everything he could have hoped for and more. Everything he had fantasized about. Especially while he was reading one of his romance novels. 

He felt John pull him impossibly closer and spin them around with a delightfully dizzying twirl, pushing Segundus hard up against one of the bookshelves. But at the last second, John’s hands blocked the force of most of it, one catching his hip before it ran into the wooden shelf and one cradling the back of his head, stopping him mere centimetres from the row of books behind him. It was rather sweet, and Segundus was very impressed with Childermass’s awareness and functionality even during matters like these for as eager as he was, as eager as they both were, Childermass still was able to maintain control over himself and his surroundings (and perhaps, one day, he could even take Mr. Childermass apart so completely that he lost control momentarily, and  _ oh  _ that was certainly a thought). 

“I am not so fragile,” Segundus breathed through a grin at his thoughts, carding his fingers through John’s hair and loosening the tie as he felt him groan against his neck. He was rewarded with a little nip and Segundus shivered with want. 

“Fine,” Childermass mumbled against him, tone implying that he perhaps thought otherwise, and that made John want to prove himself. But the vibrations against his neck brought out a little keening whine that Segundus was not sure if he should be embarrassed by or not, but he felt his face heating up regardless. 

John’s hands moved to pluck at his cravat, deftly undoing the carefully tied silk. And why Segundus had even bothered with it in the first place when it was still just the two of them there at Starecross and when he had had no plans on leaving for the day, he wouldn’t know. The now-crumpled piece of cloth fluttered to the floor and Childermass’s fingers continued with their task. 

Segundus’s hands proceeded to twist through John’s hair, not able to do much else as he was overwhelmed with the intense passion behind Childermass’s clear intent to ravish him right there in the library. He felt his waistcoat being unbuttoned and his shirt pulled open long enough that he briefly felt a draft of air on his skin until John’s hot mouth descended upon him. And judging from the little grunts and moans, John quite liked having his hair pulled and tugged at, and Segundus was more than happy to oblige. 

He felt Childermass’s teeth nip at his skin, gasping at the sharp pleasure-pain of it. His mouth latched onto wherever it pleased, sucking hard enough that Segundus was sure he would be left with bruises and red marks across his neck and chest. He sighed as Childermass ran his tongue across each spot, as if to soothe them. Segundus petted at his hair; even though he had asked for John to be more rough, he was still his gentle John.  _ His.  _ The thought made him smile. 

The scrape of slightly uneven teeth, the suction of his lips, the prickles of his stubble, it all made Segundus’s heart flutter. And knowing he would have the marks for days to remember this by, well, that thrilled him deeply. 

And his  _ hips.  _ Those taunting hips pressed against his, firmly locking him against the bookshelf, and then they began to  _ move _ and John’s eyes fluttered shut. Childermass lined them up so his strong thigh pressed hard against Segundus’s cock and he felt John’s just as hard against him in return. And he thrust, hard, with a little grunt, grinding his hips against Segundus’s. John was sure he was making all sorts of embarrassing sounds again, but they only seemed to encourage Childermass, and he was much too excited and distracted by the wonderful friction happening at his groin to try to stifle any of them anyway. 

There was a tugging at his breeches: Childermass’s calloused hand had pulled them open and slid inside, gripping at him immediately. John choked on his breath, another cry escaping his lips. That hand, oh that wicked hand. Hard and rough and fast and then every time a stroke almost became too much, almost tipped him over the edge, John would back off on the pressure, a gentler squeeze, but still kept his near relentless pace. His mouth continued to suck bruises into Segundus’s exposed skin. 

John’s head fell back against the books. “Oh  _ god _ , he muttered. Panted. There was a huff of a laugh, a breath against his left nipple before it was caught maddeningly between Childermass’s cunning teeth. 

He tried to keep up. It was difficult with Childermass so masterfully moving his hands, but he managed to work his hand into Childermass’s breeches (finally,  _ finally) _ and wrapped his fingers around his leaking cock, taking great satisfaction in the shuddering breath against his neck and the stuttering of desperate hips against him. 

He felt more than heard “ _ fuck, _ John,” muttered hotly against his damp, marked chest. And it was much too much; Childermass twisted his hand on an upward stroke and John came hard, almost collapsing against the bookcase as his knees gave up entirely. The only thing keeping him up was the hand around his waist and the press of Childermass’s body against his own. 

Childermass released his sensitive cock with a gentle stroke, tucking him back into his breeches. He lowered them both carefully to the wooden floor, and Segundus used the hand still twisted into his messy hair to tilt his head up into a kiss. He felt John twitching in his other hand, still hard, and quickly resumed his stroking. He swallowed Childermass’s moans with kisses, leaning closer and closer until he was nearly looming over him when John came apart in his hands. 

Segundus lay beside him on the hard floor, and their kisses slowed to lazy presses of lips and tongues. 

“You’re smiling,” Childermass murmured between kisses. 

“Mhmm. That was nice,” Segundus replied, still a bit too wrapped up in Childermass’s kisses and the afterglow to answer with better words. 

“ _ Nice _ ,” Childermass repeated with feigned indignation. “Aye.”

“ _ Very  _ nice,” John amended, pressing a kiss to the corner of Childermass’s lips. “Though perhaps now we could move to the bed?”

Childermass smirked and sat up, holding out a hand to help Segundus to his feet, and keeping ahold of his hand as they walked out of the library together. 


	3. In Which Childermass is a ChilderMess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Segundus's turn

With the students back at Starecross, along with Vinculus’s return and subsequent rampant running through the grounds and kitchens, Childermass and Segundus had found it much more difficult to find adequate time to be together (and yes, they had meals together and scholarly discussions together and stayed up late in the library reading together, but they were often in the presence of Mr. Honeyfoot or a student or other faculty. And so while  _ together,  _ they could not be as affectionate as they wished). Childermass had noticed that John could no longer enter the library without a faint pink tinting his cheeks in memories of what they had done there (and also in his study, and in the kitchen, and one very memorable time in the stables after they had gone on a ride together on the moors) and he found it highly amusing to give Segundus a rather knowing look at his blush, causing it to deepen. 

Childermass had taken to sneaking into Segundus’s rooms very late in the night. He was confident no one knew, except perhaps Vinculus with all his sly looks and cackling, but as that was not exactly abnormal behavior for the Book to begin with, one could never be truly sure. Either way, Vinculus did not seem to care in the slightest as long as he was able to sneak his way into the pantries. Mr. Honeyfoot had commented upon his return from the holiday that Mr. Segundus was looking very young and fresh and healthy with his pink glow to his cheeks, and surely being a headmaster was suiting him well. Childermass had nearly laughed, and Segundus stumbled his way through a vague agreement, cheeks coloring much further. 

Childermass waited until he thought all of the residents of Starecross were asleep and paused with his ear to his door, listening for any signs of a stray student. Silence. He opened the door as quietly as he could, he had mastered squeaky doors long before he had even entered Norrell’s service, and slipped into the pitch black of the hallway. He crept slowly, counting his steps to avoid a certain floorboard, and grasped for the doorknob to Segundus’s rooms there in the dark. The door was unlocked for him, and he entered silently, locking it behind him. John was sitting up in his bed, reading by candlelight, and smiled at his arrival. 

A chaste kiss turned deeper, and Childermass found himself in John’s bed once more. After a few long moments of kissing (of which Childermass was certain he would never have his fill of), Segundus pulled back and looked at him. His eyes held an excitement, a curiosity, a nervousness. He was going to ask for something, Childermass was sure, and he was also sure he would do anything in his power to fulfill that ask. 

“I have been thinking,” Segundus began, cheeks wonderfully pink. “And I was wondering about...well…”

From the shade of red on John’s face, he knew the direction this question would be going. “Just ask, John,” Childermass said encouragingly, wanting to know exactly what he was thinking of. He took both of Segundus’s hands in his own. 

“Ah. Yes. Well, I was...I was rather hoping that we...” he ducked his head, breaking their eye contact. Something embarrassing, then, Childermass assumed. But he had more experience than Segundus, and surely there was nothing that John could suggest that would be more scandalous than anything Childermass had done or seen. 

“Anything you wish,” John said honestly. 

“A-anything? You might not like it…”

Childermass frowned slightly. “I seriously doubt that. Unless,” he smirked, thinking. “Unless you would have me fuck Vinculus while you watch, because that I will not do,” he teased, and the shocked look on Segundus’s bright red face was very much worth it. Childermass laughed.

“No!  _ God _ , no,” Segundus sounded scandalized. “Oh, you’re teasing me.” Segundus sighed, his bashful smile returning. The joke had worked, he seemed much more comfortable. “It’s not so drastic an idea I suppose,” he admitted. 

“Well?” he prompted. 

“I would like to...oh, I don’t know how to say it. If you were...beneath me? Oh, that sounds awful, not as...not as a servant, as. Well. I mean. Physically?” Segundus put his face in his hands, embarrassed, and continued to mumble to himself. 

Childermass chuckled with a knowing smirk. “So you wish to ride me, then? That’s not so different,” he tried to rescue Segundus from his flustered train of thought. 

John’s embarrassed rambling stopped suddenly. “W-what? Oh. Oh...yes, I think I would quite like that,” he said, pausing distractedly as he thought about it for a bit. “I just...that isn’t exactly what I meant.”

“No?”

“Not this time...I, um...hmm...perhaps to swap would be a better word?” Segundus looked up hopefully, hopeful for his words to be interpreted correctly and hopeful for a yes. 

“Oh,” was all Childermass managed at first, mind swimming with the new possibilities. 

“Yes, well, if you do not wish to, that’s-” Segundus tried to retract. 

“Alright,” Childermass interrupted, feeling a bit warm in the face himself and his cock quickly gaining interest. “That is to say, yes, John. Yes. I would like that. Very much in fact.”

“Really?” Segundus smiled. 

“Aye.”

“I’ve been...well I’ve been thinking about it a lot,” he admitted, flushing. 

“Tell me?” Childermass asked, wanting to hear everything. 

“Well,” Segundus looked at him a little mischievously. “We would start with kissing,” he leaned forward, capturing Childermass’s lips with his own, and John couldn’t help the groan that escaped his mouth. Segundus being so bold was definitely new, and it was doing wonderful things to his cock. 

John leaned him back into the pillows and Childermass went very, very willingly. Segundus kissed him deeply, thoroughly, before letting his lips move across Childermass’s stubbled jaw, teeth scraping just so, just enough for a shiver to go down Childermass’s spine. John caught his earlobe between his teeth, let his tongue trace the shell of his ear. He kissed his way down his neck, tongue tracing over the places that his teeth nibbled. And oh, Childermass had taught him well. 

“What next?” Childermass managed, wanting him to keep talking. 

“Next,” Segundus grinned, continuing with his verbalization of his plan. He spoke his actions aloud as if narrating. “I would touch you. Everywhere. All over. I’d take off your nightshirt.”

And then he did. His hands bunched in the fabric as he undid the buttons, kissing and nipping his way down Childermass’s neck and chest. His hands slid over his arms, his shoulders, his chest, touching every bit of skin that he could reach. It was like he was exploring every inch of him, and Childermass had never been so thoroughly studied. Segundus’s lithe fingers traced paths over his chest, the soft patches of hair, his sensitive nipples. His mouth pressed gently against his scars. The vigor and care of Segundus’s kisses...it was more than Childermass was used to, and he felt himself getting lost in the sensations.

“I’ll admit I have been thinking a lot of getting my mouth upon you,” Segundus murmured from somewhere around his navel and he said it so matter-of-factly in his mild voice with just a little bit of heat creeping into it that it made Childermass shiver anew.

“Please,” Childermass mumbled, and since when had he been one to beg? Segundus caused such interesting reactions to come out of him, and brought new sounds from his lips. Childermass’s hands and cock twitched with need. One hand twisted into Segundus’s silky locks, the other slid around to hold his shoulders. 

Segundus smiled up at him, such a look on his face Childermass had never seen. The heat and want on his innocent face, he had to shut his eyes for a moment before it overwhelmed him completely. And then just as he opened them again he saw Segundus, still maintaining eye contact, lean forward. His mouth was open, his tongue wet and ready, and he took the tip of Childermass’s cock between his lips. 

“Fuck, John,” Childermass gasped, hand trembling against Segundus’s shoulder. He didn’t want to pull John’s head too hard but the urge to push him further into his lap was strong. He found he didn’t need to, as Segundus took him in so easily. His nose was soon buried against Childermass’s pelvis, his hands sliding up and down his thighs. 

He couldn't- it was- Childermass was losing his abilities to process thoughts coherently, all mental processes reduced to the feeling between his legs, to the man between his thighs and that wonderful tongue and those beautiful lips stretched around his cock. He choked on another pleasured gasp, fingers twitching in Segundus’s hair. 

One of Segundus’s hands crept closer to his cock and slid further back, cupping and caressing his balls as his mouth continued its glorious movements. The gentle squeezing of his warm hand, the sucking pressure on his cock, the hot wet mouth, the feeling of- of e _ verything,  _ John was completely lost in it. 

Segundus did something very clever with his tongue and Childermass  _ whimpered,  _ he  _ never _ whimpered, what was becoming of him. Segundus seemed extraordinarily pleased with himself and repeated the motion and Childermass gasped, hips twitching as he tried not to thrust hard into John’s mouth. Segundus’s unoccupied hand rested comfortingly on his hip, just gently holding him still. 

His other hand crept further down, further still, and gently probed the crease between his buttocks. “ _ Christ, _ John,” Childermass whispered brokenly as Segundus’s slick finger traced his entrance, and when had he slicked his hands? Childermass couldn’t remember, he couldn’t remember a stop in the sensations running through his body or any moment that John’s hands had not been touching him.

A finger slid into him easily, and Childermass was reduced to incomplete sentences, bits of words coming out in languages he wasn’t sure were all English anymore, broken gasps of John’s name. Segundus’s tongue flicked his way up the underside of his cock. His tongue, the gentle scrape of his teeth, the perfect suction of his mouth, and the second finger sliding against his rim, it was nearly too much. He was so close, so, so close. Almost too close, he vaguely realized, as his cock twitched and he knew it had to be leaking. 

“J-John,” Childermass managed with a gentle pull of Segundus’s hair, gasping and moaning and he was a wreck, he was sure he was making other embarrassing noises or speaking vulnerable words, but he could not help himself. John pulled off of him, his lips red and glistening in the candlelight. It was just enough of a pause for Childermass to be able to form a sentence. “If you wanted to fuck me, you’d best do it soon,” he breathed shakily. 

“Oh,” John smiled at him, a wicked little smile the likes of which Childermass had not seen on that angelic face, and it threatened to ruin him all over again. 

“ _ Fuck _ ,” he said again, head flopping back against the pillows. “You- I...please,” he begged. He wasn’t sure how many times he had begged in the course of the night but it was surely too many. 

Segundus crawled up his body, pressing a few hot, open-mouthed kisses on his way up before taking Childermass’s panting mouth. He kissed the corner of his lips, clearly revelling in Childermass’s stuttered breaths, as he lined up his cock and slowly pushed inside. Childermass saw stars. He had always thought that was an exaggeration. But he saw stars, and it was like when someone was doing magic very close by the way his mind and vision swirled, and everything was warm and he was shaking. 

“Are you alright?” Segundus breathed against his neck, holding himself still for John’s sake and John wanted to tell him to stop being ridiculous, he was fine, but all he was able to do was nod as his hips twitched against Segundus’s own, begging for more friction. 

“Please, please, fuck me,” he mumbled, and Segundus did. His thrusts were slow and hesitant at first, but quickly increased in their depth and speed at Childermass’s noises of encouragement. 

John couldn't focus, couldn’t process, couldn't do much more than cling to Segundus and just absorb the feelings and sensations completely overpowering his body. The stretch, the building pressure, the way Segundus’s cock hit just the right spot inside of him, it all added to the need coursing through his veins. Segundus’s arms were shaking above him, his kisses turning sloppier as he was also clearly near his end. 

“Will you come for me?” Segundus murmured into his hair on a particularly perfect thrust, and when had John learned to talk in such a way? It was just enough to overwhelm him and push him that much further. With a single nod and a call of John’s name, he came, harder than he had in a very long time, perhaps ever, and he felt Segundus twitch and spill inside him.

As they caught their breath, Segundus slipped out of him and he rolled just a bit to the side so as not to lay directly on top of Childermass, but wrapped his arms around him, nuzzling close into his neck. Childermass stared up at the ceiling, blinking as he came back to himself. When he had snuck into Segundus’s rooms earlier this was not how he had been expecting the night to go. Or any night for that matter. He was thoroughly fucked, in the very best way. 

“Thank you,” Segundus mumbled against his damp skin. “I hope that was-”

“Thank  _ me _ ?” A bark of a laugh escaped Childermass’s lips. “If you have any doubts that that wasn’t the most…” he shook his head. “You’re crazier than Vinculus if you don’t know how that-. that was...you were…” he was at a complete loss for words. Still. What had John done to him? He settled for a kiss to John’s forehead, trying to convey his feelings in a simple press of lips. 

Segundus smiled against him, pleased. He pressed a gentle kiss to the side of his neck, and then another and another, as he seemed just as addicted to Childermass as Childermass was to him. John pulled him closer and they wrapped their arms closer around each other. “Love you, too,” Segundus murmured, tilting his head up to press a kiss to John’s lips. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading <3   
> I'm katherine1753 on tumblr as well if you want to come yell at me about johnsquared :)


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